Sophia Chao (center) explains knitting tools
Students listen attentively
Needles, yarn, knitting gauge, stocking caps, pot holders, and baby blankets were all laying out across the table, while Taiwan tea and pastry were also served. Five ladies of the Idaho Chinese Association (ICA) sat around, listening attentively to Sophia Chao, the knitting and quilting guru, who gave a crash course on knitting at her Boise, Idaho home on February 19. Each student came with their newly purchased yarn and needles, as well as a big ambition — learning how to knit a coaster, a scarf, or even a poncho.
Sophia is a seasoned knitter, with decades of experience mastering in various patterns and styles. She typically has four or five knitting projects going on at any given time, and as if knitting is not challenging enough for her, she likes to read novels on digital devices simultaneously “in order to multitask,” she said. She organized a knitting club before COVID where ICA members would bring their own projects to work on and share knowledge and tips with each other. Now with the resumption of the ICA knitting club, Sophia hopes to spread the joy of knitting to more people.
Through Sophia’s introduction on different sizes of needles, types of yarn, various knitting tools, as well as online resources, the five students were all amazed that knitting is quite a deep and broad subject that involves many aspects. Knitting not only requires planning, calculations, chart reading, and mental clarity, but also requires one to learn knitting vocabulary in both Chinese and English! Sophia assured that everyone will gradually pick up the skill by taking baby steps with patience and practice.
Besides making something for loved ones, what else can one knit? Sophia encouraged the ladies to knit for the disadvantaged and donate hats and scarves to shelters that protect abused women and children, thereby passing on the love and warmth to those in need.
The ICA knitting club will meet several times a month, which will be a steep learning curve for the students. It will be exciting to see their respective works in a few months!
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